48 replies

I posted further down, but I want to welcome you and tell you that when I went to classes, back in early 2009, they told us no more than 60 carbs per meal. I used to count all the time, but now I am not as strict, I don't need to 'measure' everything ,and you won't either as much, once you get used to how much a cup of this is, or 3/4 c.. and things like that, just by looking at it. If I go over that some, I don't worry about it, but I try to stick as closely to it as I can. everyone is different, some needs more carbs than this, so do better with less, I do better with this amount or more.

However it is good to occasionally measure one's food, especially if you note your Blood Glucose (BG) numbers creeping up. Sometimes we get lax and "portion creep" can set in. It would not be a bad idea to perhaps once a month measure things to refresh our "eyeballs" as to the proper portion sizes.

Is this normal? Had a mini panic attack about my diabetes. Like I said its only been 2 months for me. I don't know if this was a delayed reaction to this news. I woke up really scared that something may happen to me bec of diabetes…

In my case, I was usually well controlled with my temprament before I had my Dx of T2. After that I had trouble controlling my temper and got really depressed as well (they say "depression is anger turned inward") So I am not surprised that you may have had a panic attack.

How is the Metformin affecting you Gennie? Is it making you drowsy? I don't know what your numbers are but exercising (running or walking) helps bring the numbers down, as well as leaving all white stuff alone…bread, pasta (substitue for Quinoa Pasta or Miracle Noodles), potatoes (occasionally a sweet potatoe plain is ok), rice (wild rice is great), sugar (Truvia is a great substitute, all natural from the Stevia plant and no wierd after taste or bloated, gassy feeling)… Cinnamon tremendously helps lower your blood sugar, so try to find something to mix it into daily (tablespoon) like plain greek yogurt, fat free… and load up on fresh baked salmon, olive oil and lemon juice as salad dressing, and flaxseed. Omega 3 fatty acids are important for lowering the numbers too. I refuse to take any pills until I see I just can't manage with diet or exercise anymore. Not saying its the right thing for you to do, but if your numbers are in the 250 range like mine were, maybe you can bring them down naturally. Also, remember, when your PMS'ing, a week or so before your period, your numbers can go way up or way down, even if your exercising or eating right. NO ALCOHOL!! At least not until you have it under control. And then very limited. I felt so bad on Metformin when I started that I had to quit. I was sleeping constantly, throwing up, and had blood in my urine. And that's supposed to help me? Heck no! I had 256 as the highest number and now down in the 109 to 130 range. Good luck and lemme know if you need a recipe…!!

Notice that she said "At least not until you have it {your Blood Glucose (BG) levels}under control".

Alcohol is a touchy thing with diabetes. It can lower your BG levels because your liver stops processing Glucose while it deals with the toxic substance (alcohol). Then your BGs rebound once the intoxication is dealt with. So if you drink you COULD go low (hypoglycemic) and then rebound once the alcohol is processed. However if one drinks a sweet wine or a cocktail with high carbohydrate mixers in it, then the BG levels go up, so Alcohol is really tricky. See the discussions on alcohol here ~ http://www.diabeticconnect.com/discussions/91... and here ~ http://www.diabeticconnect.com/discussions/42... for starters.

It also depends on what medications you are on. Some have warnings not to take with alcohol, and I for one, don't like to ignore those warnings.

If you want to read more on alcohol you can click the link "discussions" on the left and when the discussions page loads, you can type alcohol into the search box on the upper right side.

Hi female trucker and thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. My highest is 187. Metformin is not affecting me at all. But I've only been in this just 2 months. I started exercising and avoiding sugar and learning about carbs. Sometimes I'm afraid to take my pill when I haven't eaten. I force feed myself. Although I've been feeling lightheaded the past few days and when I check my sugar it's fine. I'm kinda getting scared here. I would love to see your recipe! Thank you…

I am on Metformin 500mg 2x a day. I was told to take it after meals. But ive also heard I'm supposed to take it 30 min prior to eating? I was also advised it shouldn't drop my blood sugar, but it did last week to 62, 2 hours after breakfast. I didn't feel anything and the only reason I knew was bec I checked my sugar after my breakfast. I wanted to see if the breakfast I ate was the right size for me. What did I do wrong? How did it drop that low?

wow, 2 hours after breakfast, that should not happen, not on metformin at least,. I used to be on it. what did you eat for b'fast that day? if it had enough fiber and protein, then that really should not have happened. It happened to me like that a few months ago, and I was shocked, I control by diet and exercise now a days, (diagnosed at end of 2008) so I had this cereal, I was in a hurry that morning ,it has protein and fiber ,but I did not have anything else with it, right about 2 hours later, in the grocery store, I got shaky and light headed, but I'd had that before, though it had been a very long time. they helped me and I sat down and my bs was about 65. that isn't too terribly low, but 'feel' it at those numbers, so I had my glucose tabs with me and calmly ate a couple of those and waited, few mins later I felt fine. So it still happens to me, and still, after all this time I get real nervous about it, but it is rare, and I hope that you can find out why this happened and have you taken classes? sorry if I missed some posts…I don't get on here very regularly, so I don't know the background. When I told my doctor about these in-frequent, but scary spells, sometimes it is light headed, not dizzy, but the day in the store, it was "dizzy" for sure, and she told me I am just very sensitive to the fluctuations in the numbers, 'even' if they are 'normal'…so I have had a 'few' of these, but on a lesser scale, over the years, when my numbers are in perfect range, 80-120. I hope these stop happening.

Hi Tabby! This whole week was pretty scary for me. Experienced lightheadedness during lunch?!? It scared me all I could do was stop eating. I don't have a nutritionist yet. I've only been diagnosed 2 months ago. Everything is new to me. Luckily my CEO is a doctor and told him everything I've been experiencing. He advised me to cut my metformin in half. I'm taking 500mg 2x a day. Ever since I've been diagnosed, I've been exercising every morning. Cut down my sugar and trying to understand labels/carbs. The dizziness only happens during the day. I'm still trying to figure out how to lower my BS in the morning when I wake up. I'm between 130 to 141 in the morning before breakfast so I'm not really sure if I should cut my metformin at night if my morning number is a bit high for me. I don't see my regular doctor until September and I'm frustrated that I wasn't referred to a dietician when I was first diagnosed 2 months ago. Everything I know is just through research

Genniedevera, this is just a suggestion but it helped me. Call your dr and ask to talk to him/her. If unable to, ask to speak to the nurse. Sept is weeks away. Someone at your drs. office should be able to help you over the phone or possibly move up your appt to a closer date to go. Also, check with your insurance to see if they cover you to see a dabetes educator or dietician by yourself or classes. Then call your local hospital and ask about seeing someone or taking diabetes classes. You could also call your local diabetes chapter and they may even be able to help you. I do not know if your insurance will require a pre-auth or a script from your dr. If so, ask about that when you call your dr. My last insurance required it, my new insurance doesn't. I hope this helps and I also hope you feel better soon. Take care.. CJ \U+127803

oh forgot to tell you that when it happened that day, I called my diabetes educator that taught my classes, told her the name of the cereal, she said that was a good cereal for me to eat, and asked me a few questions, she said, it sounded to her like I did not get enough protein.

For each post you make, you'll see a link which says "edit" right next to the "reply" link. click the edit link and when the highlighted text comes up, just post a character like a period or Asterisk and the text goes away. Click edit reply button and it is changed to whatever you chose to post.

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Carb counting is quite easier than what used to be. I've had diabetes 39 yrs and i used to have to count calories(which sucked). I would speak to your educator and say you'd like to eat less yet larger meals with possibility of a snack. The easiest way to count is to read the package.

Do I really have to eat 5 or 6 times a day? I'm even having a hard time with that. What are good snacks to eat? Too much fruits bad for me? Yesterday I was eating an orange, it was sooo sweet I stopped eating.

No, you don't really HAVE to eat 5 or 6 times a day, but it helps to keep your BG levels consistent. People get hung up on the word "meal" when they're told to eat and it doesn't need to be a meal each time. For breakfast it might be just a some apple slices (with peanut butter if you like that), followed a few hours later by some almonds, then a few hours later (lunch) maybe a lettuce wrap with some chicken or turkey, and so on throughout the day. Doing this you don't get that hunger sensation and you tend to eat less at meal times. Basically just keep fueling your body as it needs it.

You are all awesome! Thank you all for the warm welcome! I know I have lots to learn. I've just been reading up on it. I don't know why my doctor did not refer me to a nutritionist. I am sooooo paranoid about my food.

I was told the same thing CJ55, I was told 30 in morn, 30 lunch, 15 snacks, and 60 dinner, it might have been 60 in morn instead though, maybe for me because my meds cause me to run low in the morns though ( I work overnights), but it sounds close to my allowance, are you type 2 or is this typical for both groups?

Welcome.If you are like most of us it is very easy to become overwhelmed with this new life style. That's what you are setting off on a new life style. I was told I could have up to 45 carbs at a meal. That could be 2 slices of bread and a fruit or milk etc. 3 times a day. I found I didn't eat all of it at meals so broke it up during snack time with a protein. The protein seems to even out the sugar spike from the carbs. Like apple and peanutbutter, nuts, cheese and crackers. I found if I didn't eat it at one meal and tried to eat it all at the next I really got a spike in my bs.

Good luck and just don't get disappointed. It takes some time to get ti all together. Even after having it for 20 years I find I have to make changes every now and then depending on how I'm feeling, exercise etc.

CJ and Harlen are right on track. Looks like CJ does the exchange type method which works well. That just got too confusing for me so I just go with total carbs per meal or day. I had a lot of weight to lose so i restricted myself to less than 30 carbs per meal and it worked to control my BG's well. Like Harlen said, test, test, test. That's the way you find out what foods do what to you. After a while you can ease up on the food journal and testing because you'll naturally know what you can and can't eat and when. Although, if you are dealing with insulin testing will still be a must. As for lowering morning numbers, try a higher protein snack before bed.

Good info nick. I first started many yrs ago with 60 a day to lose weight. Now with this condition and after losing the 40 lbs, I upped it to 80 a day and it helps my BG. After doing it fo awhile you can go into a store and know what to buy and make up your own diet. Some people can go over 100 grams of carbs a day but me it has to be under 80. My BG count is under 125.

Yeah, I've found I need to get a few extra in as well to keep my metabolism working and get in the necessary vitamins. You're right, after a while it does just become as natural and instinctive as your previous eating habits were. 70-80 carbs keeps my numbers at an average of 100.

Nick, i try to figure out the carbs, but I still get confused at times. For instance. This is what I was told, please correct me if I am wrong. I was told: 30 carbs morning.. 30 carbs lunch.. 45-60 carbs dinner.. 2 snacks a day, 15 carbs each. This is where I get confused. A label reads.. Total carbs 45. Does this mean 3 servings ? If so, then if I have that for lunch I ate too much?? Or reverse this and say.. 2 serv morning.. 2 serv. lunch.. 3-4 serv dinner.. 1 serv snack?? Im off to see my Endo. hope all goes well. Talk soon. CJ :-).

Personally I think that is too many carbs, there are good carbs and bad ones. But if have something that is 45 carbs and let's say and 5 grms of fiber, subtract the fiber from the carbs and you end up with 40 carbs. I would highly recommend an herb called Berberine, you'll be amazed at how it helps control your diabetes, plus lowers cholestreol, triglycerides, a natural antibiotic, etc… http://www.raysahelian.com/berberine.htmlI'm taking it and I'm not taking my metformin anymore. Berberine has no side effects and yet it does so much. Here's another link for it. It's really good stuff. http://tahomaclinicblog.com/berberine-diabetes/Metformin depletes your vitamin B-12 and you so need that. I personally take a B-12 injection at least 3 times a week. It stops the muscle cramps, stop the sweet pee and for me it has lowered my high triglycerides tremendously. I know a needle shot sounds scary, but once you learn how to give them to yourself, it's old hat. I buy mine from trim nutritionals and I inject it into my upper thigh muscles on my legs. I'm looking to beat diabetes not live with it.

Most carb listings on labels are per serving, so yes, if you had something at 45 total carbs, that is per serving. That sounds high (like a microwave meal, a good size slice of pan pizza or a stack of pancakes), but if you’re counting carbs by a DAILY total, then you can still come under your “carb budget” by lightening up at dinner. 150 total carbs per day seems to be the recommended amount, but that is just an average and will change for females, males, age, activity, and weight loss goals if any. I will say that even if you count total carbs per day, you can still have huge spikes and lows if you eat huge at one meal and light at another. Keeping your carb intake reasonably even throughout the day keeps your numbers more stable. Let’s not forget too that counting sugar is necessary as well.

There are two schools of thought on carbs. Some say there are good and bad carbs, others think a carb is a carb, and bad no matter what. I try to balance my carbs with nutritional value. For example, a rice cake has 7 carbs/serving with 1g protein and 0 fiber and 0 fat. A serving of unsalted nuts has 6 carbs/serving, 7g of protein and 2g fiber and 14g fat. The nuts are a far better nutritional value (higher protein which we need), even though they are higher fat (but we need some of that too). We do need to eat some carbs, they are a source of energy, but I try not to pick “empty” carbs. If you stop at McDonald’s for breakfast, an Egg McMuffin is way better than a stack of pancakes.

So even though we say 150 carbs per day is average, how you spend those carbs makes a big difference in your numbers.

Thank you, CJ and Harlen. Its only been 2 months for me. I have lots to learn. I started exercising every morning and eating sugar free food, candies, etc. I'm a bit paranoid, afraid… been checking my blood sugar and trying to figure out how I can lower my sugar in the morning …

hello genniedevera, I still have the same problem. The advice I received was this.. 15g = 1 carb. Weighing your food to get the right amount of portion size is recommended. Also, keeping a journal of everything you consume works well. Your Dr. Can tell you just how many carbs you should eat in 1 day. I hope this helps. If you need anything please let me know. Have a wonderful Monday. CJ. :-)

Hello and welcomeFirst we all do better counting carbs so your on the right path.I use the book the calorie king and it will give you all the foods you eat even fast foods you eat out .For me it is 1ut of insulin to 2 grams of carb you will be more like 1ut to 15-20 grams carb .All foods have fat and of carbs.And yes I use a scale with the years of using the scale I can look at it and tell whats in it lol lol and i get real close lol lol lol You can eat normal but till you get it down to how menny carbs your taking in test test test .You are the only you there is so take good care of you.Hope this helps and if you have more Q please just ask .Best wishesHarlen